Method of and apparatus for treating textile materials



Jan. 29, 1929. 1,700,481

- T. D. AINSLIE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIALS Filed A1155, 1925 z Sheets-Shea; 1

:i H L MaQM Jan. 29, 1929. 1,700,481 T. D. AINSLIE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE} MATERIALS Filed Aug- 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Federated Jan. 29, 19.29.

UNHT S rare s THOMAS KNOW AIN$LIE, OF METUCHEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE ROESSLER EASSLACHER CHEMICAL COMPAEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF AND APPAT'US FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIALS.

Application filed August 5, 1925. Serial No. 48,183.

One of the most important factors-in carrying out dyeing or bleaching operations is uniformity of treatment. I Unless the treating liquor saturates the mass of material completely and unless the temperature is kept uniform in all parts of the container and complete circulation obtained, satisfactory results are not secured. Tn all textile treating, the object is to use the least possible amount of liquor with which one may obtain uniform results. This permits a lower chemical cost, requires less equipment, and the labor per pound of material is lower. A kier permits one to handle the maximum quantity of material with the minimum amount of labor and chemicals.

When treating with hydrogen peroxide it is necessary to get penetration as soon as pos-.

sible after commencing the bleach. If the' penetration is not complete in a comparatively short time, those parts of the mass which become saturated last will have a different degree of treatment than those parts which were penetrated first. lVith hydrogen peroxide thetreating solution rapidly loses strength and it is necessary to have all parts saturated with liquor as uniformly and quickly as possible in order to assure uniform results.

Where a kier is employed it is dificult to be certain that all parts of the mass will be uniformly treated. This arises chiefly from the fact that channels form which carry the liquor through the material in lightly packed places but avoid the parts of the ki r which may be packed tighter. In other words, the liquor follows the course ofleast resistance and even. though all of the goods are eventually saturated with thetreating solution as indicated above, the result is not uniform. In order to obtain good results it is usually necessary to remove the material from the kier and replace it again for a second treatment. The moving of the material changes or eliminates the channels and thus gives in the second treatment an evening up of the results obtained in the first one. If the unevcnly bleached goods are not removed from the kier, then it is necessary to treat with a second batch of chemicals. In other cases the kier is not loaded to full capacity but is packed loosely so as to secure the rapid penetration necessary. These methods are objectionable since much time is lost by thus multiplying the numberoftimes a kier must be used for a given tonnage. The object of the bleacher is to do this work with the minimum time, the minimum quantity of chemicals and with the minimum equipment and a certainty of result. If two boils are given, the labor is increased, more chemicals are employed, and the cost for equipmentper ton of cloth is therefore much higher.

There are many types of kiers now on the market but most of these depend upon a single flow of liquor. Usually no pressure is used in a kier when bleaching with peroxide but pressure may be used when boiling out cotton preparatory to bleaching with chlorine. lln any event as the liquor works its way through to the bottom it will tend to follow the channels referred to. With a peroxide liquor the upper part of the kier is usually very finely bleached while the lower part is uneven making it necessary to re-treat the whole kier. I

After considerable experience in the art. I have devised a system which gives a uniform saturation throughout the mass of material. This is described in my U. S. Patent #1545,- 872 of July 14, 1925. I have now found that additional benefits are obtained by arranging an inward flow of liquid in the goods, this flow to be concurrent with,-'or alternate with, the outward flow as desired in view of the nature of the goods being treated. I will describe my invention as follows with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In Figure 1, 4 is a pump which draws the liquor from well 18 of the kier 20 through the pipes 1 and 3. v 2 is a valve which controls the liquor passing to the drain 19. From the pump 4: the liquor goes through the heater 5. theme through pipe 6 to valves 7 and 9. Valve 7 feeds a spray pipe 8 which distributes liquorover the surface of the goods while valve 9 controls the liquor passing throu h pipe 10 where it is further controlled by valves 11 and 14. Valve 22 is in the direct line from 10 back to the pump. Tf valves 9 and 11 are open 7 14 and 22 closed all of the liquor will fiow into the manifold 13 to be distributed out of the upright pipes 12. If the valve 14 is also open, part of the liquor will pass through the pipe 15 and thence through 16 to be discharged from the distributing pipe 17 which is within the mass of ple inlet 17 is constructed as described in my above mentioned patent; it may consist of a plpe extending upward in the kier and having perforations preferably in itsupper portlon. This perforated portion may be covered I with a cloth or screen to better difi'use the liquid; and, as shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings the upper or distributing section may be enlarged. lit will be seen that if valves 9, 11 and 24 are closed and valves 7, 1 and 22 open, liquor will be drawn from the head 17 to the pump and discharged out of the pipe 8 over the goods. Tf valves 7, 14: and 22 are closed and valves 9, 11 and 24 are open then the liquor will be drawn from the well of the kier and discharged entirely out of the spray pipes 12. By opening valves 9, 1a and 24 and closing valves 7, 11

and 22, all the liquor will be discharged out of the head 17. Various other combinations may be made to draw the liquor-out of the upright pipes 12 or to draw the liquor partially from either the upright pipes 12 and the centre pipe and from the well of the kier to be discharged over the surface of the goods. Figure 2-shows the line of flow from the vertical side pipes 12. The liquor passing out of pipes 12 is discharged at an angle so that the flow will not go directly toward the centre pipe 17. This angle may vary withthe size of the kier and the type of goods being processed. 8\is the pipe feeding the vertical flowvwhile 12 and 17 both give a horizontal flow, the .liquor from 17 traveling radially outward while the liquor from 12 is forced at an angle inward. The number of pipes used in the periphery will depend upon the size of the kier while the number ofhol'es in these tendency to force the goods away from the wall of the kier thus opening up achannel so that any liquor thrown on top of the goods will have access to the well of the kier without passing entirely through the material. This is a serious which the flow is intended. My method of counteracting this tendency is in the first place to have the flow from the perlphery to the center at an angleand further to alternate with a flow from the center outward so that the goods will be pushed backagain to the wall when the liquor is circulated in the opposite direction, center outward. T have found that if the liquor is discharged from the periphery in such a manner as to flow approxi defect and defeats the purpose for ifiooner nately at a thirty degree angle, penetration is improved and less'separation from the kier wall results. ,A discharge from the periphery towards the center I call a ninety degree discharge. The angle between the ninety degree discharge and my proposed flow would then be-sixty degrees. This angle, however, may be increased or decreased as the size of the kier and the type of material may warrant. Thave further found that by circulat ing from the center outward at the same time the periphery discharge is made excellent results are obtained especially when combinedwith a vertical flow.

As already explained there are three distinct flows:

1. A vertical flow to the wall of the kier.

2. A- flow from the center towards the pe riphery of the kier, and i 3. From the periphery of the kier towards the center.

This operation combination may be varied, and the flow maintained as desired. The kier piping is arranged so that any one or all three of these flows may be used at any time desired. The advantage is that the kier operation may-be guided by'the conditions.

T have found that if the liquor is withdrawn from the periphery of the kier at the same time that it is discharged within the mass of material, there is a considerable horizontal flow through the goods.

This further assurespenetration throughout the mass and materially assists in bleaching the cloth eficiently and economically. This last step may be reversed so as to discharge the liquor at the periphery while withdrawing at the center. A vertical flow may be maintained at the same time if desired;

The periphery discharge pipes may be arranged vertically or they may be placed helically or in any other way which secures the inward flow described and thus serve the purpose indicated. Tf desired, two pipes may be placed together in the periphery so that the direction of flow may be alternated thus discharging to the left of the pipe for a while and then to the right.

By using either the inward flow or the outward flow in conjunction with the vertical flow, excellent results are obtained as thorough penetration, which is the objective of all bleachers and bleaching processes, is assured. The kier arrangement described'above further permits the operator to carry out the boiling as he rience on any particular fabric. For instance, the liquor may be circulated through at g thinks necessary from his expe- 4 the lower part of the kier and then passed open up the mass of goods.

mo est wards the center of the mass and the flow from the center of the mass towards the periphery tends to give an abundance of liquor in the portions of the kier which are the most dificult to penetrate. llhe center flow outward is especially important since it tends to lit the liquor is withdrawn from the periphery, the suction on the goods around the outside of the mass tends to draw them more closely towards the wall of the kier and at the same time assures a reasonable flow of liquor through the material surrounding the pipe.

"While I have indicated several methods of operation of this kier wherein a certain flow of liquor is obtained ll do not wish to be limited to those described since by my simple interconnection of pipes it is possible to secure a great number of varied combinations each suited to a particular "fabric or condition. lit is also possible within my invention to regulate the amount. of liquor in the various paths by varying the amount of valve opening in any desired pipe. lln all cases of discharge of liquor l have a positive pump pressure on the liquid discharged. Thus 1 have forced flows and am not dependent on gravity or seepage to secure penetration.

lit/ hat ll claim is: p

1. Method of treating goods packed in a kier or vat which consists in flowing multiple streams of "treating liquor into the mass in a direction from within the mass toward the walls of the vat while simultaneously flowing streams of liquor from the walls of. the kier towards the interior of the mass of goods packed in the kier, while withdrawing treating liquor from the kier at a point spaced from the inlets.

2. Method of treating goods packed in a kier or vat which consists in subjecting them to a triple flow of treating liquor comprising a flow from within the mass of goods towards the walls of the kier, a flow from the walls of the kier towards the interior of the mass of goods and a substantially vertical flow from the top downwards, while withdrawing treating liquor from the kier at a point below the treating liquor inlets. v

3. Method of treating oods packed in a kier or vat which consists in subjecting them to a triple flow of treating liquor comprising a flow from within the mass of goods towards the walls of the kier, a fiow from, the walls of the kier towards the interior of the mass of goods and a substantially vertical flowrfrom the top downwards and withdrawing the merged streams through the perforated false bottom of the kier, or vat. I

4. Method of treating goods packed in a kier or vat which consists in flowing diverging streams of treating liquor from within liquor throughthe'goods and withdrawing the merged streams at the bottom.

5. Method of treating goods packed in a kier or vat which consists in flowing streams of treating liquor through the mass alter nately from within the kier outward and from the walls of the kier inward, while simultaneously flowing vertical streams of treating liquor through the mass and with drawing the merged streams at the bottom.

6. The combination with a kier or the like having a bottom outlet for liquor, of a plurality of multiple inlets within the kipr spaced from the outlet and a plurality of multiple inlets at the periphery of the kier.

7. The combination with a kier or the like having a bottom outlet for liquor of a multiple inlet within the kier spacedfrom the outlet, a plurality of multiple inlets at the pe-. riphery of the kier and a plurality of inlets at the top of the kier.

8. The combination with a kier or the like having a bottom outlet for liquor of a multiple inlet within the kier spaced from theoutlet, a plurality of multiple inlets at the periphery of the kier and a plurality of inlets at the top of the kier andmeans for supplying liquor to said inlets in desired proportions.

9. The combination with a kier or the like having a bottom outlet for liquor of a mul 10. The combination with a kier or the like of a perforated italsebottom, av collecting.

Signed at Perth Amboy in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey this 3rd day of August A. D. 1925.

I THOMAS DOW AINSLIE.v 

